Ulysses, located at 110 East Cherry Street in Georgetown, is now open for business. Pictured above are Ulysses of Georgetown owners Jordan and Elizabeth “Liz” Dorsey, and their daughter Ada Mae. Photo by Wade Linville
Owners excited to service Brown County and surrounding area
Owning a restaurant together has been a dream of Jordan Dorsey and his wife Elizabeth “Liz” Dorsey for quite some time, and once given the chance to open their own restaurant in Georgetown, the couple jumped at the opportunity.
Ulysses of Georgetown, located at 110 East Cherry Street on the Courthouse Square, is now open for business, serving takeout at the current time while renovations are still taking place at the indoor dining area, bar, and beer garden in the back. They are also in the process of getting their license to serve alcohol at the new establishment.
Jordan Dorsey said they are shooting for early May to hold a grand opening ceremony.
The Dorseys are equipped with many years of restaurant and food service industry experience. Jordan Dorsey worked in the restaurant business for 15 years before becoming a real estate agent. He has put a hold on his career in real estate to focus on running the new restaurant.
Currently open 11 a.m. to noon for lunch takeout and from 5-9 p.m. for dinner, Ulysses has been very successful in its first weeks even with renovations taking place. You can reach Ulysses at (937) 515-8909.
“Once we get this place open for inside seating, which we’re hoping to be done by May 3, we will be more of an evening establishment and stay open until like 10 p.m. (through the week) or 11 p.m. on Saturdays,” said Jordan Dorsey.
The current menu includes baked chicken wings, a soup of the day, chimichurri tacos, a variety of signature sandwiches, and their popular pot pockets.
Jordan and Liz Dorsey moved to Georgetown in 2019. He is from West Chester while she is of Fort Thomas, KY, and they chose the rural community of Georgetown as a home to shorten his commute while working at Ragan McKinney Real Estate Agency in Brown County.
It didn’t take long for the couple to fall in love with the Georgetown community, and now with a young daughter named Ada, they are very pleased to plant their roots a bit deeper in Georgetown by opening their own business and raising a family in the village.
Liz Dorsey was a reporter for The News Democrat, Ripley Bee, and Brown County Press when first moving to Brown County, and also works as a flight attendant. She continues to work as a flight attendant part-time while also helping to run the restaurant.
Together, the two are excited to service the Georgetown community that has given them such a warm welcome to Brown County.
“It’s really a great way to involve yourself with the community,” Jordan Dorsey said of owning a restaurant in Georgetown. “The best thing you can do for your neighbors is feed them, and now we get to do that for the entire community.”
Recently, Ulysses provided the Brown County Sheriff’s Office night patrol with dinner, and compliments continue to roll in from those who have eaten there since it opened.
Opening a new restaurant comes with its share of challenges, as the Dorseys have experienced in recent weeks while getting Ulysses up and running.
“We had to start from scratch. We both have restaurant experience but never have we owned a place, so you don’t know what to expect,” said Jordan Dorsey. “Everything we make is from scratch, so we had to figure out what all of the prep times were and how much to prep per day. We’ve got a good system. We still run out of food quite a bit, but that just means it’s been a good day.”
The name Ulysses name for the restaurant was inspired by none other than Ulysses S. Grant, whose boyhood home is located in Georgetown.
Paintings of U.S. Grant were donated by the Brown County Historical Society to hang in the new Ulysses of Georgetown restaurant once renovations are complete.
The Dorseys are hoping Ulysses will become a place where the people of Georgetown and surrounding areas can come to find great food, a comfortable dining atmosphere, and great company.
“We really want this place to be a part of the community and not just some restaurant that we jammed in here to make some money,” said Jordan Dorsey.
You can also visit the restaurant’s Facebook page (Ulysses of Georgetown).